Projects and working folders
Keep related work together and choose the files an agent can work with.
In this topic
A Mellow project is a shared context for related conversations. Use it when several chats belong to one outcome: a release, a research topic, a client engagement, or a collection of documents. Agents remain separate from projects; more than one agent can contribute to the same project.
Set up the context once
Create a project from the chat sidebar's Projects area. Give it an outcome-oriented name, then open Project Settings.
| Setting | How it affects new work |
|---|---|
| Instructions | Added to conversations in the project as standing guidance |
| Knowledge | Collections available alongside each agent's own collection grants |
| Working Folder | Default folder for a new project chat that has no independently chosen folder |
| Default Agent | Starting agent for new chats created from the project page |
| Shared Memory | Project-scoped recall across conversations, subject to the overall memory setting |
Keep project instructions focused on stable context. Put a temporary request in the chat message instead. For example, “Use approved product names and distinguish preview features” belongs in instructions; “rewrite this paragraph today” belongs in a message.
Bring conversations into the project
Use New Chat on the project page to begin inside its context. Use Add Chats or the conversation's project action to bring existing chats in. Moving a chat changes its project association; it does not merge every message into a single conversation.
A default agent is a convenience, not a restriction. You can work with another agent in the same project and keep the common instructions and knowledge.
Folder precedence
The folder saved on a conversation takes precedence over defaults. For a fresh conversation without its own choice, a project folder can replace the agent's remembered default folder. Restoring an existing chat should preserve that chat's saved folder.
This matters when a project contains both writing and coding work. Before a file-changing task, inspect the folder chip in that particular conversation. Do not infer file access from the project's name alone.
A selected host folder and Sandbox execution represent different execution choices. Review the agent's resulting state after changing the working folder. A project is not an additional sandbox boundary.
Shared memory across agents
Project recall provides continuity between chats. It is separate from an agent's personal memory. An agent whose own memory is disabled can still participate in project-scoped memory while the overall memory system is enabled.
Recent context and distilled long-term facts are different parts of recall. Do not rely on memory as an exact ledger. For a decision that must be reproducible, record it in a project document or structured database and reference that record explicitly.
Use the project's Memory action to inspect what has been retained. If an answer appears to draw from the wrong topic, confirm the conversation's project association before changing the model.
Knowledge is shared by grant
Collections selected for the project are merged with the active agent's collections. This means a project can make reference material available even when it is not independently assigned to that agent. Choose grants intentionally, especially for conversations using a remote model.
Removing a collection from a project removes that association; it is not the same as deleting the source documents or the collection itself.
Deleting a project
Deleting a project removes its shared organization and context. Its chats are retained outside the project, and shared knowledge collections are not deleted with it. Review project memory separately when your intention is to forget retained context rather than simply reorganize conversations.
Diagnose unexpected context
| What you notice | What to inspect |
|---|---|
| Instructions seem absent | Confirm the chat belongs to the intended project |
| Agent sees unexpected documents | Review both project and agent collection grants |
| New chat opens in an unexpected folder | Compare project default, agent default, and chat-specific selection |
| Another agent recalls project details | Check whether the chat shares the same project memory |
| A precise fact is missing | Read its source record; memory retrieval is selective |
Continue with Knowledge and Memory to understand how those two forms of context differ.
Continue exploring · Your daily workspaceFrom request to finished work →Follow a task through model responses, tools, approvals and its final result.